i ♥ ny

I ♥ NY in December. There's the magic of the twinkling lights, the hustle and bustle of bundled up shoppers, and the holiday markets in various squares and parks.

We went in Sunday morning to see some sights. First stop: Chicken and Waffles at Hill Country Chicken. It's good food at great (by NYC standards) prices. The waffle was light and fluffy, served with brown sugar butter and maple syrup, and the chicken tenders were moist, perfectly seasoned with a crisp coating.

a "me" day- part II

... this is a continuation from the previous post...

Third stop: Billy's Bakery

Billy's is a happy place. The yellow and green colors are reminiscent of another era.

a "me" day

Everyone needs a "me" day, a day when you get to do whatever you want, unencumbered by the usual responsibilities of life.

What would your day look like? Would it be a day spent jumping the waves at the beach? Reading fireside? Hiking in the forest? Relaxing in a spa?

My "me" day was this past Monday, which found me walking the streets of Manhattan on a mini bakery tour. (Mini here means "not full-fledged", as I was limited in both time and, more unfortunately, stomach space.)

the sweetest things

One recent afternoon in NYC included these treats:

Bar Boulud
Vanilla Rolled Cake, Berry Marmalade, Strawberry Sorbet

Strong, vibrant fruit flavor, disappointingly dry cake

Magnolia Bakery

I've tried their cupcakes before and was underwhelmed.

The cupcake of the day, however, seemed special.

I'm a sucker for anything caramel.

Though the cake was slightly dry, we gobbled it up. 

We particularly enjoyed the caramel frosting, though everything

about the cupcake was on the VERY sweet side.

Several people have told me about the Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies from Levain Bakery.  

I was curious, particularly after their throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Their offerings were limited, which isn't a bad thing.  If you do a few things, do them well,

a seafood sunday

The remaining summer weekends are booked up, so our last free Sunday was spent in lower Manhattan, checking out a few places.  The one common denominator- tiny storefront/limited seating. We started eating at 11 AM, so fortunately there were no lines and plenty of room for the four of us.

First stop—

Luke's Lobster (seven stools)

I had eaten a sandwich at the Hester Street Fair and wanted to go back with The Husband, as the Lobster Roll is one of his favorite foods. 

We got the Taste of Maine: Small Lobster, Crab, Shrimp rolls and two Empress Claws. FABULOUS. (The Kids ate the chips and drank soda, as they haven't yet developed a love for seafood.  So glad we didn't have to share with them!)

hester street fair

Trips into the city are rare occurrences for me.  Between working from home and extracurricular obligations, I do not get in as often as I would like.  That said, when The Sister comes into town, I plan on a couple trips for some foodie fun.

We drove into Manhattan on a sweltering hot Saturday —this summer, what Saturday hasn't been?— and visited the Hester Street Fair.

I was expecting something on a street, but this Flea/Fair is situated in Seward Park, under a canopy of trees.  Ahh, shade!

The first two vendors you see when entering are La Newyorkina, Mexican ice pops purveyor, and Sigmund, pretzel purveyor.

Having The Little Man along definitely meant stopping. Given a choice of anything for dessert on any given day, he most always picks a popsicle (though I think gum might be a close second.)  La Newyorkina takes these icy treats to a totally different stratosphere.  Saturated with flavor and color,  they are beyond delicious.

He chose Watermelon.

The pretzel was equally tasty.  We got the Truffle Cheddar Pretzel, with honey mustard dip.  I also couldn't resist their trademarked Wankos cookie which was delicious, sturdy, and peanutty. (Watch out, the pretzel nuggets indeed are quite hard.  Don't chip a tooth!)

sugar fix

On Father's Day, we were in Manhattan for BBQ.  We got our rock star parking right in front of RUB on 23rd, a good 30 minutes before they opened, so I had to, just had to drag the family a couple avenues over and a few blocks down to visit the newly opened Limelight Marketplace.

If the name sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because the Marketplace is located in the same space that once housed Limelight, the nightclub, ... a church.  At the corner of 20th and 6th.

father's day feast

For Father's Day lunch, the DH vacillated between going to Katz's Deli and RUB BBQ. I tried persuading him to set foot in Brooklyn for Fette Sau (the #1 rated BBQ in NYC), but he had no interest in fighting potential traffic in and out, over bridge and tunnel.

The Husband chose Righteous Urban Barbecue, purely to eat the Burnt Ends.

You ask, what is a burnt end? I wondered that too and imagined some carcinogenic charred piece of meat, which it isn't... exactly. The definition of Burnt Ends, for the barbecue newbie like me, is the trimmings of the brisket which fall off when slicing. Apparently, they are usually crispy, tough and dry. RUB's was none of the above.

The meat had good char and was both tender and moist. Melt in your mouth good. It also came with a layer of fat (it reminded me of pork belly fat,) which I nibbled on, just a bit.

The rest of the menu included—

St. Louis and Babyback Ribs,

Pastrami, Pulled Pork, and to top off all that meat,

Chili Cheese Fries,

which were greasy-yummy, cheesy (obviously),

with the added surprise of brisket in the chili- fantastic.

We are already planning when we can next visit again, because we surely will.

Recommended dishes: Burnt Ends, Pulled Pork, St. Louis Ribs, Baked Beans. (I loved the fries, but you can't mind the grease.)

The Three B's- Part II

...this is a continuation from my post of 5.6.10

After the Bouchon Bakery pit stop, I headed over to Bar Boulud, which is right across the street from Lincoln Center.

Don't you like how the barrel-vault ceiling echoes their restaurant sign?

I've been wanting to try BB since it opened up a few years ago, so this was a long overdue visit.  I'd read about amazing charcuterie platters, but at 11:30 on a weekend, I was thinking Croque Madame, which is done to perfection here (according to Frank Bruni).

The fascination with the Croque Monsier/Madame must have started with our trip to Paris in Christmas of 2001.  There, we saw the McDonald's version...

Don't you love it?  The Croque McDo-available in a Happy Meal!  I'm sure the Parisians were cringing at the American interpretation (or bastardization?) of their beloved dish.

mother's day pastry bonanza

Mother's Day breakfast came one day early.  The Husband must have read my earlier post in which I bemoaned not getting to the 4th B.  He drove up to Englewood, where Balthazar Bakery has their baking center and a retail store.  He came back with enough breakfast pastries to feed a family of ten- croissants, pain au chocolat, schnecken, almond croissant, chausson aux fruits, AND my new favorite, cannelés.

The Sister first introduced me to the cannelé a few years ago.
She brought some over from California for me to sample. 

 They are made in individual molds, traditionally lined with beeswax.

The cake is made with eggs, butter, sugar, milk, flour, vanilla and rum, and when baked properly, has a custard, slightly chewy interior with a dark, caramelized crust.  These, when toasted up, were delicious. (The DH called ahead and special-requested this items as they're not usually out at 8 AM.  He's The Best!)

If you don't have a pâtisserie making cannelés close by, Trader Joe's sells them in their freezer/dessert section.  Though not quite the same as a fresh one, they're worth trying out!

cornflakes for breakfast

Or should I say, Cornflakes, Chocolate Chips, and Marshmallow? With a Crack Pie chaser?

The Husband is always incredulous when I eat dessert at breakfast. Whether it be a pecan pie (always a favorite ANY time of day), butter pound cake, or a couple of cookies calling my name, I'm always game to have something sweet in the morning.  After all, how far removed are any of the above from coffee cake or doughnuts?

On a most wonderful excursion into Manhattan,  I stopped by Momofuku Milk Bar, which just opened a Midtown branch two weeks ago.  The Milk Bar is known particularly for two supposedly fabulous creations- Crack Pie and Compost Cookie.  I've had neither from the bakery, though I baked the latter a few weeks ago and have all the ingredients to make another batch when the craving hits, which was last Wednesday. The homemade Compost Cookies were/are stupendously good.  I had to taste test the real deals and got the Cornflake, Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cookie to round out the sampling.

playing hooky

Who wouldn't, for a bite of this lusciousness?

Instead of our regular Sunday morning activity, which would be going to a church service at Renaissance, The Family took a quick trip into Manhattan to visit Doughnut Plant.  We first heard about it on Food Network and have wanted to try them for the past year.